How Parents Can Make Parent/Teacher Conferences More Effective—by a Mom & a Past PTA president

Parent Teacher conferences are a great opportunity for you to be physically in the school, support your child’s teacher and, even more important, a way to advocate for your child. As a parent of two kids who have now nearly both made their way through public school, and as a past PTA leader in all three levels of schools over the years, I have a few suggestions. Whether you are just starting with your child’s educational experience, or looking to improve things for any of your kids, may I suggest:

1) Make attendance at your parent teacher conference a PRIORITY!
This may sound overly simplified, but it really isn’t. P/T Conferences are special times set aside to discuss with a teacher the progress of your students, as well as the expectations a teacher has for his or her class. The teacher has thought carefully about each student and also prepared to present their plans of their class to each parent with whom they speak. PLEASE make attending this event a priority.

2) Come with an open mind.
You may have already drawn conclusions about your child’s teacher by the time the conference dates roll around. Maybe you have heard from your student that the teacher is “mean” or “nice” or “too hard” or “too strict”. Do your best to open your mind and really HEAR what the teacher will tell you—about the class as well as your student. Many times the impressions a child brings home about their teacher is a knee jerk reaction to something that they may not even think about the teacher anymore. Listen and HEAR the teacher speak with you and come to your own conclusions. The vast majority of folks who get into the teaching profession do so because they really want to make a positive difference in the lives of their students. Give them the chance to tell you about their plans.

3) Bring some new or different insights.
Many teachers are facing classrooms of 30+ kids in elementary schools because of budget cutting measures. If you are talking with a junior high or high school teacher, multiply that many students by the number of class periods the teacher teaches. That is a LOT of students to keep track of. Good teachers are always looking for ways to help kids are struggle or challenge kids who get it quickly. As a parent, you know your child better than any teacher! Maybe you can offer some insight to a teacher about how to reach YOUR child. This should not be seen as an expectation for specialized teaching methods or special treatment for your student, but giving the teacher a hint that will lead them to better methods to reach out to your student. You could mention that your third grade son prefers to read non-fiction books about sharks or dirt bikes and that tidbit may help her understand why your student is not connecting with a Junie B. Jones book, for example.

4) VOLUNTEER to help make the teacher’s life easier.
How can a fourth grader teacher get his class excited about geology and local rock formations without taking them out to actually SEE them? How would you do that on a bus full of 10 year olds, excited to be together and away from the classroom, and keep them not only safe, but engaged in the lesson? This is the hard work of teaching, we are talking about. Volunteer to chaperone that field trip. Be the extra eyes for the teacher to keep kids safe and on task. Show your own enthusiasm for learning by participating with your student. During parent teacher conference, you have a precious few moments to speak with your child’s teacher about how you can help him do his job better for your child…and all the other students he has this year. Use a small moment to volunteer to help with field trips or activities or projects, or even parties. The teacher you volunteer your time with will recognize that you value his efforts, and your child will too!

5) And finally, keep a positive outlook.
You may not have a student with Ivy League ambitions, but every child deserves to feel successful. A good teacher will look for ways to show an interested parent their student’s personal success. Maybe it is just an improvement on the latest math unit test or a week’s worth of daily homework turned in on time! A child doesn’t have to be the VERY best at everything to feel successful, but sometimes kids think they do. Listen to the good things your child’s teacher tells you about them. Make sure your child knows that her teacher told you how fabulous she was with her punctuation quiz or how he offered some great insights about the book the class was reading together. Those little things really add up with the confidence a child feels at school. And recognizing that a struggling student can also make incremental improvements will give them hope for continued success. Kids have a lot on their plates these days, and they only get to be kids once. Help them find ways to enjoy this time and celebrate the positive experiences. In fact, that is a good lesson for all of us!

Posted by: Shauna on 09/18/2013 06:30 AM MST

Make Parent/Teacher Conference More Effective

Make Attendance a Priority
Come With a Open Mind
Bring New or Different Insights
VOLUNTEER
Keep a Positive Outlook